Well, that didn’t take long. As predicted here a few weeks ago, B.A.S.S. found that the no-entry-fee Elite Series idea for 2025 wasn’t in the best interest of their anglers.
The first step toward a solution is a $10,000 investment by each angler. This will add roughly $1 million to the season payout, to be distributed among nine regular season tournaments and the Bassmaster Classic. That total may not be enough to satisfy anglers used to making their mortgage payments on time, and a new revision might need to take place later. However, if the additional funds are put to use strictly on the bottom tier of prize money (those places that once paid $10,000, and were most recently almost totally eliminated), the new payout structure could be more sustainable. We’ll see.
The new direction comes as a result of the formation of the Angler Board of Professionals, the latest attempt by touring pros to “unionize”, so to speak. We’ve seen this before. At one time, it was mandatory to be a part of the Association of Bass Professionals in order to compete (interestingly, the same acronym as the new organization).
Later, we saw a group of disgruntled B.A.S.S. pros break from the establishment, forming the Bass Pro Tour. Once viewed as the new frontier and the best way forward, many competitors there have grown dissatisfied in just a handful of seasons. Some left and returned to B.A.S.S.. I don’t see them on this new advisory committee, however.
Regardless, we’re presented with a handful of anglers intending to best represent the competitor. A few are veteran names we’ve come to recognize as dedicated to the common good. Great spokesmen. Others are relatively new names that have shown they have what it takes to carry the torch. Strangely, one was recently arrested for tournament fishing fraud. The group may want to think that through a bit more.
A new Angler Services board is also part of the program, intended to increase the marketing reach of B.A.S.S. pros. In order to do so effectively, this board will need to work on influencing the direction of B.A.S.s. itself. In the real world, recent decisions are working against the anglers. Payout structure is taking the validity out of the game as a legitimate sport, while forward-facing sonar removes the majority interest from fans.
These hot-button topics will become a decisive point for the effectiveness of this group. Will things continue to operate in a business-as-usual fashion, where everyone but the tournament organizers clearly see issues facing the league? Will the new group have the influence to force change?
It’s hard to say. B.A.S.S. higher-ups claim that the 103 Elite anglers have 103 different priorities when running their individual businesses. I doubt that.
In most cases, the business plan of a bass pro is fairly simple. Use major tournaments as a platform to increase sponsorship and fan appeal, while trying to make a few bucks in the events themselves. Come out ahead every year while paying the bills, and try not to be on the road 300 days a year. It’s pretty similar to other businesses.
This only works if the platform – tournament bass fishing – continues to raise interest from fans and participants in a way that supports the concept of paying influential athletes. If decisions are made to lessen that appeal, or further divide the interests of outdoor enthusiasts, customers and viewers, professional bass fishing will fail to support those 103 businesses.
Today, all around us, we see changes in the platform that are leading, I believe, to less interest. Therefore, fewer individual businesses can be supported.
Let’s see if the new ABP can turn that tide before it’s too late.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
